Have you heard about Flat Tummy Tea? The product has made a big push with promises their tea will boost energy levels, reduce bloating and help you lose weight with their 2-week and 4-week tea detox systems. So it’s gotta be awesome…right?

In the video I share my thoughts about Flat Tummy Tea and other similar tea detox weight loss systems. It is a scam? Do you really need to buy a tea system to lose stomach fat, or is drinking tea in general good enough? I’ll tell you the real truth about it.

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Matthew and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary this month. The time has gone by treacherously slow. I feel like I’ve been married for a millennium.

Haha! Just kidding! The time has flown by fast and marriage has been great. So now that you’re giggly, take a look in the mirror or snap a quick selfie and ask yourself what you think about your smile. Do you have pearly whites, or has your smile’s brightness diminished to 20 shades of yellow or 15 shades gray? I was horrified when I first noticed my smile had lost it dazzling brightness. It seemed sorta of gray-ish. A few years ago I talked to my dentist about laser whitening, but that costs about $500. Yikes!

Although I’m no longer a new bride, I know that teeth-whitening is one of the biggest priorities for a wedding (it’s one of the most photographed days in a person’s life). Yet the desire for a whiter, brighter smile doesn’t end once the wedding is over. When I was asked to try Crest 3D White Supreme Flexfit Whitestrips, I knew the product had a reputation for being effective, but would 3D Whitestrips really work for little ‘ole me?

I PUT CREST 3D WHITESTRIPS TO THE TEST

Taking the Product Out of the Box: Whitestrips whiten in just one hour a day for 2 weeks (14-day treatment). The product comes with 28 strips: two strips for each day for your top and bottom teeth. Be sure to read the brief information packet inside the box to ensure you have the best whitening experience possible. Crest uses the same enamel-safe, teeth-whitening ingredients dentists use. The ideal time to whiten is two weeks in advance of your big day.

Wearing the Flexstrips: The strips stretch, flex and mold to your teeth nicely. It took me less than one minute to apply both strips daily. They are comfortable and didn’t interfere with talking or having a drink of water. I appreciate that the strips are form-fitting, especially since I have a few crooked teeth, and I was able to mold the strip to hug each individual tooth with no gaps. The strips grip well, do not slip off and are easy to remove.

Did the Strips Whiten My Teeth? I first began to notice the whitening effect on Day 7 of the treatment. I was doing some video editing on that day and noticed my teeth looked whiter than usual in the camera footage. Whoa! By day 10 of my treatment, my teeth were visibly whiter when looking into a mirror. I have always felt pretty good about my self-image, but I have to admit that I had an unexpected boost in confidence when I saw my teeth on day 10. By day 14, the last day of my treatment, I was extremely happy with the final results. My teeth didn’t look gray anymore.

I’m grateful for Crest 3D White Supreme Flexfit Whitestrips. I never imagined the results would be this wonderful. If you’re thinking about teeth whitening, there’s really no need to pay for an expensive $500 dentist treatment. Give Crest 3D Whitestrips a try. You can find the product at drugstores, mass-retailers and online nationwide ($64.99 per kit USD). The strips proved to be an easy-to-use, comfortable, at-home teeth whitening experience for me.

And guess what: Now my hubby wants in on the teeth whitening action! I’m going to pick up a Crest 3D kit for Matthew. He’s plans to brighten his smile, too.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

This post is sponsored in partnership with Harmony Books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

There’s so much I want to say about this book, yet I’ve had to contain my thoughts into this small space. As I read through the pages of The Prime, my initial reactions were feelings of validation and relief.

Why Did I Feel Validated?The longstanding thoughts I’ve conveyed here on my blog regarding the dangers of Big Pharma, the benefits of a natural health approach to your wellness, and how food can harm or heal us were so perfectly expressed in The Prime. Validation like this, from a book written by a doctor, was like a huge pat on the back. I felt it important to feature the book here on Yum Yucky because of its natural health approach and the powerful tools it provides to help you heal your body and drop the weight once and for all.

Why Did I Feel Relief? The book so perfectly speaks to people who have struggled not only with weight loss or the ability to control their food choices, but also provides real solutions for binge eaters to break free from their prison. Real solutions — not some motivational rah-rah talk that has no substance behind it.

The Prime is eye-opening and liberating, and will provide real answers to your health and weight issues. It all begins with the condition of your gut and its dire need for repair.

Early in the book you’ll learn how you’ve been duped by the food industry and taken of advantage by the medical industry. Both are not inherently designed to serve us, but rather, their own agendas have precedence. The food industry has coerced the American diet in such a way that we have become addicted to the feel-good-feeling of excessive sugars, fats and carbs. In turn, we have become sick in our bodies and required medical intervention — whether that means popping an Excedrin for a headache (which is many times food related as detailed in the book) or as extreme as surgery. The medical industry is not designed to heal or cure us. It has been set up as a revolving door, serving up solutions that mask our problems instead of getting to the root of the issues to resolve them.

THE PRIME Supports Spontaneous Weight. But What Does That Mean?

I know, I know. There’s go to be some catch, right? After all, the idea of spontaneous weight loss involves losing weight without much effort, and that can’t be right. I initially didn’t know how I was going to feel about this concept, yet within the first few pages of the book I felt myself being drawn in by Dr. Chaudhary’s story as she shared how, after growing up in India, she came to America at the age of 19 and become very sick due to her new, Western diet — which also caused her weight gain.

In the book you’ll learn how Dr. Chaudhary addressed the toxic, inflammatory, sickened state of her body by healing her gut. The result of this healing unexpectedly and surprisingly led to her weight loss. This type of weight loss is a side effect to healing the gut — this is what spontaneous weight loss means. Dr. Chaudhary is now helping her patient address the same issues, and they are losing an average of 30 pounds in 3 months…as a side effect!

You can get a sneak peak into the pages of The Prime on Amazon.com with their “look inside” feature. Go read a few pages! You’ll be glad you did.

MORE ABOUT THE PRIME

Integrative neurologist Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary discovered a beautiful side effect to the eating and lifestyle tools she gave her brain patients–shedding excess pounds. In this, her first book, she shows readers that weight gain is a result of the body being in a toxic, inflammatory state. If your body is not prepared or ‘primed’ for weight loss, you will fight an uphill biochemical battle, and the odds of succeeding are slim. So she’s reverse engineered our way of eating, so we can stop dieting backward and start succeeding instead.

Using a blend of cutting-edge science and ancient wisdom, Dr. Chaudhary has crafted a plan like no other. In it, she shares:

The importance of neuroadaptation, food addiction, and the brain (or, why it’s not your fault that dieting has been so hard in the past!)

Why it’s not what you eat, but what you digest.

How to determine if you have a Leaky Brain—and what The Prime can do about it (hint: everything)

The 4 Stages of the Prime

Activate a Biochemical Shift

Crush Cravings (No Willpower Required)

Ignite Energy and Fat

Biohack Your Lifestyle Habits

… and how they’ll help you spontaneously shed pounds, by adding (not subtracting) simple teas and supplements and without giving up any foods you love.

Lastly, you’ll learn how to live fully Primed, the secrets of the Super-Primed, and, when you’re ready to explore new foods, how to eat according to your unique constitution.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary is a neurologist, and the director of Wellspring Health at Scripps Memorial Hospital and a pioneer in the field of integrative medicine. She received her internship in internal medicine at UCLA and her neurology fellowship from UCSD. Her research includes groundbreaking work in stem cell therapies for diabetic peripheral neuropathy and drug development for the treatment of ALS. She is the co-founder of Habit Change, and she is committed to bringing national awareness to the need for a paradigm shift in medicine that focuses on patient empowerment and a health-based medical system.

Yup. We did it. We gave our Keurig the boot. About seven months ago we saw a demo of Nespresso and never looked back. We bought it on the spot, and Matthew, my dearest coffee connoisseur, couldn’t be happier. Nespresso is the new king. Move over, Keurig! Here’s our full Nespresso VertuoLine video review…

Our review includes the machine demo, our thoughts on the coffee capsules, the pros and cons, and why we feel it’s better than Keurig.

First thing’s first: If you think you have a Urinary Tract Infection but have never been diagnosed in the past, you need to be seen by a doctor. However, if you’ve experienced a UTI before and know for sure that’s what you’re dealing with, then Oregano Oil might be natural, quick, uber-effective UTI home remedy that makes you happy.

MY UTI SITUATION

It had been years since I had a UTI, but when I recently felt that familiar, painful twinge, I knew right away what I was dealing with. Quick action is important to avoid blood-tinged pee, constant trips to the bathroom, and to escape the looming threat of even more pain. I was fully prepared to call the doctor and deal with the antibiotics, but my affinity for natural remedies urged me to reach for my Oil of Oregano instead.

QUICK INFO ON OREGANO OIL

Oregano Oil is highly regarded as the most powerful natural antibiotic in the world, and has been well researched for its health benefits. My full write up on Oregano Oil Facts, Benefits and Risks will bring you up to speed on why you should keep Oregano Oil on hand in your home (I also keep some at work), including which brand is the best, why it’s the best and how to administer it safely. I stress to you that there are safety measures you must take due to Oregano Oil’s heat factor, so please read the full write up before purchasing or consuming the product.

Excerpts from research on oregano oil benefits from around the web:

“…the oil was tested against aggressive germs, including the cold, flu and even bird flu viruses. In all cases the wild oregano oil destroyed the viruses. In tissue culture the wild oregano oil virtually completely destroyed the human coronavirus, a 99.9% kill, in a mere 20 minutes. The coronavirus is the microbe responsible for nearly 50% of the infections diagnosed as the common cold or pneumonia and is solely responsible for SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). The destruction of the influenza A and bird flu viruses was nearly as complete, a 99% kill. This is an impressive result, which has never been achieved by any drug…” via HyssopHealth.com

“In Mexico, researchers have compared oregano to tinidazol, a commonly used prescription drug to treat infection from the amoeba Giardia lamblia. These researchers found oregano to be more effective against Giardia than the commonly used prescription drug.” via World’s Healthiest Foods

“Potent viruses, with previously no known cure are suddenly losing against one of the most potent members of nature’s family – Oregano oil. Stories of genital herpes, shingles and cold sores clearing up are all from the topical as well as internal application of this herb.” via Liberty Voice

Fill an empty veggie capsule with oregano oil and take one, 2-3 times per day for 3 days.

Important: you must eat something AFTER you take the capsule, as the capsule will have bouyancy and “seem” to be in your chest unless you chase it down with some food.

After you feel yourself getting better, continue to take 1-2 capsules at for least 2 days longer. This is similar to when you are instructed by your doctor to finish all of your antibiotic even after you feel better.

Note: Fill each capsule right before you take it. Do not pre-fill to take hours later, as the integrity of the veggie capsule will slowly degrade throughout the day due to Oregano Oil’s heat.

I experienced fast relief from my UTI with this method. Within an hour! If you don’t get relief within 24 hours, consider calling your doctor. This information is not meant to replace your doctor’s advice. Please use your best judgment and be sensible.

Oregano Oil is safe to take even when you are not sick. It will help maintain your health. Do NOT administer Oregano Oil to young children due its potent heat factor. Your homework right now is to read Oregano Oil Facts, Benefits and Risks to further educate yourself on the awesome power of Oregano Oil. Here’s to your health!

“Ahhhh!” That’s the sound I make when I’m peeing in my car. No, really. Both Gracie and I have peed in the car on several occasions now. There are 3 good reasons for a portable pee urinal:

When you’re taking a long road trip. It’s an empowering feeling to know you won’t piss your pants while trying to find a bathroom to stop at.

To avoid the disgusting scene at the porta potty.

To not have to squat & pee in the deep, dark woods. Too many Sasquatch out there.

We keep portable female pee urinals in our car with the rest of the emergency supplies (including toilet paper). Let me explain how this works…

I first recognized the need for this when I had to drag Gracie into the woods for her first squat and pee session. The porta potty at the park was beyond disgusting, complete with flies and diarrhea spatter. I took her into the woods instead. She was 4 years old at the time and, as you can imagine, squatting to pee in the natural wooded habitat of the suburban hyena is not an art form for someone so young. Pee ran down her legs and got onto her socks and feet. Sure, I had brought toilet paper from the car to clean her up, but the whole experience got me thinking there had to be a better way.

After remembering that time I once had my son pee in an empty water bottle while we were stuck in New York City traffic (he was 5 at the time), I thought to myself, what if us girls could pee like a boy in the privacy our own car, too?

Type #1 ~ Pee Standing Up Anywhere: Yup. This one has a hole at the end and is obviously not suitable for the car. But you can act like a boy as you pee standing up in a discreet location of your choice. By positioning this soft, flexible device under your bottom, the pee drains away from you. No more squatting and no more pee mist getting on your legs and clothes. There are two reusable urinals in each box.

Type #2 ~ Pee in the Car: I prefer this one to discreetly pee in the car. First I kick my family out the vehicle. Then I get into the back seat on the floor. It takes a few seconds to position it just right, but once you get ‘ta peeing you will feel fantastic to be relieving yourself in privacy. I then dump the pee-pee evidence into a nearby bush, rinse out the urinal with water, then put it into a plastic bag to clean when I get home. And yes, I do keep toilet paper in the car as well. It’s biodegradable so I don’t feel bad about dumping that into the bush either — this is an emergency situation, after all. You can opt for a urinal that has a lid on it, but I prefer to dump the pee immediately instead of keeping it in the car until later.

We are going canoeing this weekend and I will be putting my urinal and toilet paper in my backpack. Last time we canoed I had to pull over and go in the woods with no supplies. This time I will be prepared. I know this all might seem weird, but if you keep this in your car, you’ll be happy on the day you have to use it. There’s no reason for a 21st century lady of sophistication to be squatting in the woods when there’s pee technology such as this to keep you fancy.

Well, hello there.

Hi! I'm Josie. This is where I share my passions for healthy living, natural health, fitness, and happiness. My goal is for you to be empowered and informed by what you read and learn here. I'm 44 years old and I love Jesus. I've been married to my husband for 13 years. I have 4 children (ages 24, 21, 12 and 8), and I'm also a grandmother to a sweet 2-year old little girl. I've lost over 40 pounds during my weight loss journey. I encourage you to stay empowered. Always keep your head up and stay strong! Meet Josie